[CindyHurst]

Date Location Attendance Style of Class Duration
4/7/18 My house 1 Private – Hatha L2 60
Stop teaching like a robot; just be myself
4/8/18 My house 1 Private – Hatha L2 60
Better today; more relaxed and more like myself; convinced me to go with what I know and love
5/12/18 Athleta 0 Gentle / Restorative L1 45
No students; store did not get the Yoga event on their calendar until 2 days before; proves how important marketing is for these types of events
5/17/18 FiServ ? Outside of the Studio 60
The importance of community energy and the strength of teaching as a team
6/6/18 NW OB/Gyn 6 Hatha L2 60
Timing is a challenge for me; more time for centering and I also need to slow down the overall pace
6/13/18 NW OB/Gyn 5 Hatha L2 60
Not everyone knows what I know; explain the terminology and/or demo the pose first
6/20/18 NW OB/Gyn 2 Hatha L2 60
Since the class was small, I gave my students Reiki at the end of class and it was very well received; I need to incorporate Reiki in future classes
6/27/18 NW OB/Gyn 3 Hatha L2 60
As we’ve gotten to know each other, this class was a lot more interactive; I found this to be a very comfortable way to teach
7/5/18 Ah-sana Yoga 4 Hatha L2 60
Designed a new class sequence and forgot to bring it with me; the sequence did not resonate with me anyway, so I taught what I know and it was good
7/13/18 My house 1 Private – Hatha L2-3 60
Private sessions are so fulfilling with an engaged student; I think I’d like to do more one-to-one classes
7/14/18 BOY Outdoor Class 16 Hatha Flow L2-3 40
At 10AM it was 85℉; reminded students to listen to their bodies; showed pose modifications at the beginning of the class; paused to remind then to stay hydrated
7/19/18 Ah-sana Yoga 2 Yoga Basics – Hatha L1 60
I had 2 beginners so they asked a lot of questions and I was able to share a lot of information; very rewarding experience
7/31/18 Ah-sana Yoga 1 Hatha L2-3 60
Experienced student, so we practiced together; still trying to get used to the fact that sometimes students don’t show up for class
8/2/18 Ah-sana Yoga 2 Hatha L2-3 60
Karen Huttsell and Liz Littleton in my class – what’s not to like; they enjoyed my interactive teaching style; works well for a small class
8/6/18 Ah-sana Yoga tbd Hatha L2-3 60
8/11/18 BOY tbd Hatha L1-2 60

Total Hours 15.4

[CindyHurst]

When I’m anxious, I usually feel it immediately in my gut; also tightening in my jaw and the muscles in my neck. My skin may also react. In college, I had a boyfriend who tried very hard to control me. I really liked this guy, which I think clouded my ability to see how much this bothered me. I suddenly developed a severe rash on my inner arm. Nothing I did helped to alleviate the itching or make the rash better. Finally, something happened between us that made me speak up. Actually, I remember doing a lot of yelling that day. I definitely let it all out – I told him that I wasn’t going to tolerate his controlling behavior any longer. Next day, the rash was completely gone. This was a huge, obvious lesson in how my body does speak what’s on my mind.

The wisdom I’ve gained over the years – I’m now able to either not react to stressful events or utilize my tools to prevent a further, more intense reaction. By starting my journey into teaching Yoga at this stage of my life, I believe that I’m well positioned to help my students to deal with their stress (especially job-related stress) through Yoga and Meditation. I want to be an example to my students of the long-term benefits of a Yogic lifestyle.

[CindyHurst]

The focus on Ayurveda and my current lifestyle has made me realize that I have definitely allowed/caused a pretty strong Vata imbalance in my body. YTT and practice teaching, combined with a crazy busy job, have made me realize that my workaholic tendencies have not been serving me well and it’s my eating that has been impacted most. Reviewing the material for class reminded me that I need to be better focused on the content and the time of day that I eat my meals. Working late is also impacting my sleep – especially the time I go to bed. What really resonated with me was Kimberly’s statement – not sleeping from 10PM to 2AM robs you of your rest and digest.

Yoga is my lifestyle (that is, when I’m not working too much). I often think about what it was that a substitute gym teacher said to me back in elementary school that pointed me to this journey. What can I say to my students that might help them discover their own Yogic path. I know that I will be able to relate well to students that come to Yoga to help reduce their job stress. I hope to be a good example of someone that has reaped the benefits of Yoga.

[CindyHurst]

1) Dominantly Pitta with Vata increasing as I get older.
2) I am definitely Pitta; strong digestion, sensitive skin, very focused, workaholic tendencies, and “all-knowing.” The many Pitta descriptions that I’ve read over time describe me pretty well. My Vata traits, that are slowly increasing, are related to dry skin and hair, sensitivity to cold temperatures, and a dislike of the wind, even a gentle breeze.
3) I’ve incorporated several Ayurvedic practices into my daily routine and I’d like to learn more ways to integrate this information into the classes I teach. This would help my students to bring Yoga and Ayurveda more fully into their lives – perhaps to make it their lifestyle, or at least a larger part of their day to day living.

[CindyHurst]

It’s been 6+ months since the last time I attended a curvy class. The most notable difference between the two classes was the level of difficulty. The class I recently attended on 6/30 offered multiple challenging poses – for example, pyramid and half-moon. The poses were built from the ground up, making them more accessible to a broad range of students. Colleen’s cues were clear and concise.

Gently encouraging the use of blocks, blankets, and straps is something that I will incorporate into my teaching – regardless of the style of class. My own attitude toward the use of props has changed significantly in recent years. Rather than thinking of props as a crutch, I now embrace them as enhancement tools. Colleen’s use of the blocks for half-moon (stacked blocks) helped with balance; most, if not all, students were able to do the leg extension.

[CindyHurst]

Most of my “ah-ha” moments came from the discussion about teaching Yoga to our warriors with PTS. Specifically, (1) student placement in the room (2) making sure the students know you are watching the door, (3) do not use straps, (4) heart openers may make students feel vulnerable, and (5) making sure students know where you are in the room so they don’t sense that someone is sneaking up on them. Teaching Yoga to this population is so needed and specialized training is definitely required. Melanie’s insight was very helpful and informative.

A huge driver for me to achieve my RYT 200 certification is to bring Yoga to a broad population of people. I’m really focusing on my words, especially when it comes to how modifications are offered. An “ah-ha” moment came to me years ago regarding blocks. I was able to do almost all the poses I practiced without any props. It wasn’t until a teacher said to me that, although it was commendable that I was practicing Ardha Chandrasana with my hand on the mat, my alignment was off due to the short length of my arms. She helped me re-learn the pose using a block to essentially lengthen my arms. Had this been handled differently, most likely my ego would not have allowed me to embrace the use of props. This moment really changed my personal practice. I heard something on a podcast featuring Amber Karnes about teaching Yoga to EVERY body — she tells her students that “you don’t have to change the body to come to the practice.” This is something that I hope I will always remember as I develop in my teaching career.

[CindyHurst]

Attending classes at other studios has been very informative as well as a constant reminder of why I practice at Balancing Owl Yoga. Most significantly, it has reinforced how important it is to make students feel welcomed. In all of my visits to other studios, I arrived early and, frequently, I was not even greeted by the teacher before class started. Only on a few occasions was I asked about my personal practice and if there was anything the teacher needed to know about me. This is something I will strive to do in every class I teach.

I’ve also focused a lot on cueing – the words the teacher uses and when. My first couple of karma classes, I felt like a robot that was trying to spew out all that I know about each pose. My good friend Carolyn told me after my first class that it was not Cindy up there teaching. From that point on, I’ve tried to just be me and to bring my passion into my teaching. It’s still a work-in-progress, but I’m feeling more comfortable with my style and delivery each time I teach.

I agree with Kimberly’s lesson learned – until that new ‘thing’ becomes my own, I will refrain from throwing it into the class plan. To continue to be my authentic self is the goal. I’m very passionate about my yoga practice and I will try to teach what I truly know and love about yoga.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 10 months ago by CindyHurst.

[CindyHurst]

I have really enjoyed planning the sequences for my Karma Yoga classes. I’ve used both the Class Set Up / Centering Template and the Sequencing Template to provide a framework for my class plans. I use either Word or Excel for my class plans. I’ve used these tools extensively in my professional life, so I am very comfortable with both and feel they provide the flexibility I require for making modifications to the sequence plans.

I find that writing out the narrative of my class is very helpful. Although I don’t use the “script” in my actual class, I find that writing it down on paper does help me to visualize my class. I always do a dry run of my sequences to make certain that the transitions work smoothly and to practice my cueing. I also try to verify that I will fulfill my intention pertaining to what I want to pass on to my students.

The class timing continues to be a challenge for me – both in planning and in execution. No surprise since I don’t have a good sense of time as a student.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 11 months ago by CindyHurst.

[CindyHurst]

I had a discussion with Anne DiBlasio this morning after class. There was an issue with the speaker which caused some disruptions to her music. She commented about how distracting that can be to a teacher – having to deal with fixing the music takes you out of your flow, potentially making you forget what you were going to say or do next. As a teacher in training, these are the things that I don’t necessarily think of or plan for. I feel very fortunate that Anne shared this with me. I thought about it on my way home from class – what would I do in this situation? Try to fix it, bring it to the students’ attention, just continue without the music… In all honesty, I didn’t even notice the issues with her music – and I was right next to the speaker. Anne obviously handled it seamlessly.
As much as I love practicing with music, should this happen in my class, I plan to acknowledge the issue and just continue without music. I know that it’s best for my Pitta self to just let it go and move on.

[CindyHurst]

If you’ve downloaded your playlist to your phone (in other words, you’re not dependent on an internet connection to stream your music), then I would suggest using Airplane Mode rather than Do Not Disturb. This will prevent any interrupting sounds or gaps in your music if you happen to receive a text or call during your class.

[CindyHurst]

Meditation is grounding, centering, balancing, healing – it’s mindful, insightful, intuitive, perceptive… I’m certain I could write many more words to describe what meditation is, but not sure I can actually describe what meditation is not. There are so many “things” that we do in our daily lives that may not commonly be considered as meditative, but in fact, can be very meditative – doing the dishes, walking the dog, folding laundry. We can be in a meditative state as we practice asana; we can also be in a meditative state as we swim laps. Meditation is a very personal practice that can be done at any time if one is mindful.

As we learned in Laurie’s workshop, the purpose of meditation is to develop a greater understanding of our inner world, our inner spirit, our inner self. In the book Wherever You Go, There You Are, Jon Kabat-Zinn writes, “Above all, meditation is about letting the mind be as it is and knowing something about how it is in this moment. It’s not about getting somewhere else, but about allowing yourself to be where you already are.” He also writes that mindfulness means “paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.” He thinks of mindfulness “simply as the art of conscious living.” This is how mindfulness and meditation relate to one another – by being where you already are.

[CindyHurst]

My first teaching experience outside of a studio environment was at Athleta in Easton. The request was for a gentle / restorative yoga class for beginners. I asked the coordinator ahead of time about the space. She said they did have a speaker so I could plug in to use my own music. They also had a few yoga mats to lend, but no other props. I designed a sequence that was very basic (no down dogs or vinyasa flows). The real challenge was to come up with restorative poses that did not require props. I planned for half frog, legs up the wall (with no wall), and reclined twists. Unfortunately, they didn’t get the yoga class posted until late in the week, so I did not have any students. Nonetheless, it did teach me about making sure you know what you have to work with before the event so you can plan accordingly. It also taught me not to be sad when no one shows up – sometimes that’s going to happen.

Our volunteer opportunity also offered some interesting challenges. The loud music, all the vendors / distractions, and the available surface for practicing. Once we started practicing as a team, we did attract some participants. It was really fun when the kids joined us. It definitely helped to have the studio passes to hand out. We may not have practiced a lot of yoga with the race participants, but we did stir up interest in the practice of yoga.

[CindyHurst]

My first “ah-ha” moment was the level of students I want to teach. Since teaching yoga will be my retirement career, I had in my mind that I wanted to teach what I lovingly call “Old Lady Yoga.” I’m not sure what triggered the change – perhaps it was the advice to teach what you know and love. I’ve had a strong yoga practice for years and I don’t know why I thought I wanted to teach beginner or gentle yoga exclusively. I still want to share my knowledge and experience with an older population, however I am definitely drawn to teach Slow Flow or Empowering Flow classes (level 2-3) because that is my practice; what I know and love. Perhaps when I’m approaching 100 years of age, I’ll dial it back to just teaching gentle yoga. 😉

My second “ah-ha” moment was in relation to finding my teaching voice. This occurred to me at the Yamas and Niyamas workshop with Deborah Adele. She spoke about Satya and referred to the story from the book about her friend that said, “I always show up differently with different people. My biggest fear is that everyone will be in the same room at the same time and I won’t know who to be.” Most of the time, I’m a “what you see is what you get” kind of person with everyone. I have no idea why I felt I needed to be someone different as a teacher. When she spoke about Asteya, two quotes from her book came to mind: “From the fullness of our own talent and skill, we automatically serve the world rather than steal from it.” and “The jewel of nonstealing, asks us to build our competency with life itself.” This was very powerful.

As I practiced for my recent Karma Yoga class, I really focused on just being me, interjecting my personality and teaching with the intention to share my version of a yoga lifestyle with others.

[CindyHurst]

I really learned to breathe in yoga in the past 10 years. It came to me when I started practicing regularly in a studio. I credit the yoga community, no matter where I practiced, that helped me with my focus on breathing. There are multiple techniques that I’ve used to enhance my own breathing practice – alternate nostril breathing, breath of fire, and three-part breath to name a few.

Breathing practice will be a part of all my classes, in centering and in meditation. I’ll focus on the breath as part of the flow. I’ll continue to study about breathing so that I can pass on the benefits to my students. I’ll encourage my students to practice their breathing, even if only for a few minutes every day.

[CindyHurst]

Arm balances can certainly be challenge poses in a level-2 and above class, however there are also modifications for arm balances that many students can do early in their practice and may ultimately lead to the full expression of the pose.

I love inversions and they will be a very important part of the classes I plan to teach. There are so many inversions that are very accessible to most students. I think it’s important to teach that inversions are not just head- and hand-stands. Raising the hips above the heart in a Bridge pose or simply having “Legs up the Wall” are wonderful inversions.

From an Ayurvedic perspective, my main reason for including inversions is the health benefits – increased lymphatic flow results in increased immunity by helping to remove wastes and toxins.

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